Prior to our class screening, I asked one of my friends from London about Downton Abbey. His response? “I’ve heard it’s excellent, but my mum watches it, so I’ve stayed away.”
I think it’s interesting to point out that my 20 year old male friend stayed away from the show simply because his mom watches it, which I think, from what I understand about ITV, isn’t really what the channel is going for. The only real criticism I’ve heard about Downton Abbey is that it has been accused of being a soapy show that attracts mostly a female audience, which doesn’t seem to be such a bad thing if you consider how popular it is.
But are the rest of ITV’s show, such as TV Burp and Benidorm, also geared toward the mothers of society? I’d say probably not. (But then again, Benidorm is about a bunch of middle-aged married people on a vacation…? Clearly I’m not a mother and have no idea what kinds of shows mothers watch.) I can’t say I was a big fan of the sitcom personally. I did find TV Burp hilarious, but I’m certain that my mother would not. She would, however, adore Downton Abbey, and I’ve already recommended it to her.
The “Comic Relief” clips that Professor Becker posted certainly show us one thing; that Downton Abbey is of a higher caliber than most of the other shows on ITV, even to the point where it can be made fun of for its pretentiousness and dramatic plot lines. I think it is one of the more well-produced shows we’ve seen in class so far, and that’s impressive for ITV. TV Burp and Benidorm aren’t exactly the same level of high-budget, glossy production value.
ITV’s remit claims that it wants to “provide a range of high-quality and diverse programming”, and I think that these three shows provide us with examples that it does just that; they certainly are a diverse group. I think that Downton Abbey really is the “ideal” high-quality British TV show; plenty of accents, fancy dresses, servant drama, tea, and World Wars, and Americans have always been rather fascinated with British culture. I think it’s great that ITV has such a smash hit that sets the bar a little higher for its programming. And who knows? Maybe more great things are to come from ITV.
I’d like to add that I am on episode 6 of Downton Abbey and loving it.
I can see how Downton Abbey would be seen as something a “mum” would watch. I don’t think it’s a negative for the show though because it still is a top notch program. I’d definitely call it a soap opera though. It just seems to be a more trendy soap, if that word could apply. By that I mean that the acting is not overly dramatic, the feel is more film-like, and the narrative is not a modern day setting but rather something more “exciting” because it’s set in the past. It appeals to women, but that’s another trademark of soaps, right? I think that’s a good quality of the show though, that it has a focused approach, which allows it to deliver consistent quality week after week. As you said yourself, it is the ideal high-quality British TV show and that appeals to audiences, especially Americans because we seem to have a fascination with the workings of British royalty and culture. I enjoyed the show, I don’t think it’s my favorite program of all time (sorry Maijah) but it is a quality program that I would watch again, merely for the production value and well written narrative.
I want to start out by saying that I thought “Downton Abbey” was okay. I feel like I liked it as much as I male should like it. It clearly is a show targeted towards females, and as a male, I respect that. With that being said, I think its interesting that you bring up the concept of what our parents watch usually leads to us, the children, staying away from it. I feel like in most cases TV shows act to try and bring families together. Growing up, there were always that shows that I would sit down and watch as a family. And now, I know that when I go home from school I still like to sit down and watch some shows with my parents. But I know that shows my dad watches I am more likely to watch than shows my mom watches. Likewise, my mom might like a show like “Downton Abbey” (I haven’t told her about it yet, she’ll probably check it out soon) because she’s into the soapy/melodramas so our tastes are not the same. I will usually trust my friends on their tastes before my parents because we’re the same age group and usually in the same demographic. If one of my friends recommended “Downton Abbey” I would probably check it out more likely than if my mom told me to check it out.
I definitely wonder about the appeal of Downton to men. It has the elements of a soap, and most of the characters are women. It reminds me of how geared towards women Call the Midwife seems to be (though that’s only based on the overall premise and the brief nun footage we’ve seen). Both shows are considered huge hits in the UK, and I wonder what the actual audience demographics are across the pond. Downton Abbey really seems to me to come off like a work by Jane Austen, also highly female-targeted. The show is a bit easier for viewers to take in, as it’s a bit less complex, less wordy, and more exposition-filled. I’ve read that the appeal of the show is that has the pretty costumes, period nostalgia, and high quality feel of an adaptation of Austen, Dickens, or Shakespeare, but it’s actually original programming. Those other authors are British television mainstays, with new versions coming out every few years (sidenote: the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth is infinitely better than the Keira Knightley movie). The other period pieces on the air are all a bit tired, and the fact that you don’t know what’s going to happen on Downton is probably pretty appealing.
Also, here’s another (sort of creepy) parody, Downton Tabby from Catsterpiece Theatre: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10476920-downton-tabby-tribute-is-the-cats-meow